Carlos Pena Exposed

No, I'm not talking about Carlos Pena the baseball player — he's exposing himself with his lousy hitting. I'm talking about something much more sinister: The Carlos Pena toothbrush holder.


That's right. I'm talking about the No. 1 MLB giveaway, according to The Biz of Baseball. I got mine when the SJI class attended the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday.

The Rays lost to the Chicago White Sox, 8-5, so fans at least had the consolation prize of their favorite slumping Rays slugger to handle their oral hygiene instruments. And you know your toothbrush will be protected because Pena couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it — even with a bat that thick.

Not so fast: The promotion was meant for children 14 and under. We got toothbrush holders because we were members of the media. Unfortunately, when we all got to the hotel to try out the gimmicky device, we found there's a reason the giveaway was for children — because the only toothbrushes it can hold must be for toddlers.


Are you kidding me? My toothbrush barely goes an inch inside Pena's bat! The holder doesn't nearly take enough of the toothbrush end to keep the whole thing up. You can see in the above photo that I have to support the bristle end to keep it balanced.

Scandal!

But I do have a confession: Ultimately, this design flaw did not deter me from using the holder.


The power of ingenuity at work.

Today's Events

Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay's starting first baseman and clean up hitter, is protecting more than just the Rays' lineup these days. Now, after his club's 8-5 loss today against the Chicago White Sox, Pena inherited the responsibility of protecting my toothbrush.

During our time in the club's press room, all members of the media were presented with an official Carlos Pena Toothbrush Holder. Hopefully, Pena will protect my toothbrush better than he's safeguarded the Rays' lineup, or else my breath might start smelling like halitosis by the end of this week.

But in all seriousness, I truly enjoyed my first experience covering a Major League Baseball game today. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was definitely media savvy, answering most of our questions with insightful detail. He also updated us on shortstop Jason Bartlett's hamstring injury status and availability for the series against Toronto.

"I would doubt that JB will play tomorrow," Maddon said. "As we move through Toronto, we'll see. Everyday, I believe he's going to be better, according to what I'm hearing, but I don't think he'll be starting tomorrow."

As a result of the injury, Reid Brignac filled in for Bartlett at shortstop today and contributed on the offensive end as well, knocking in an RBI today. At this point, Bartlett's right hamstring injury is listed as day-to-day.

In addition to analyzing and reporting about Pena's lackluster play and Bartlett's hampering injury, I also had the opportunity to assess some of the Rays' introductory songs. Personally, I was impressed with Carl Crawford's selection. The Tampa Bay outfielder chose Young Jeezy "Lose My Mind" and clearly it motivated him because he tallied four hits against the White Sox.